Greek football fans set stands alight after Athens derby

A football match between Greece's Olympiakos and Panathinaikos was cut short
after fans rioted in the stadium and set stands on fire.

8:15AM GMT 19 Mar 2012

The Athens derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos Pireaus was abandoned after being interrupted twice by crowd violence on Sunday.

Three fire engines were called in to extinguish flames at Athens Olympic Stadium as Panathinaikos fans set several sections of the stands on fire. Others threw flares, railings and seats at the police as they tried to move in and quell the trouble with tear gas.

Smoke rises from burning seats during a Greek Super League football match between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos at Olympic stadium in Athens [Photo: Reuters]

The start of the second half was delayed by 45 minutes as fans fought running battles with police and was subsequently abandoned altogether.

Several petrol bombs exploded close to the pitch, prompting referee Anastasio Kakos to end the match prematurely and pull the players off the field with nine minutes remaining – Olympiakos 1-0 ahead after Djamel Abdoun's 51st-minute goal.

Twenty police officers were injured and over 50 arrests were made, while 10 Molotov cocktails, sticks, firecrackers and two knives were confiscated by the authorities, police said.